Flying-machine.



J. W. HBADLY. FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9, 1914.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

/'Z0 Mew; IN V EN TOR.

WITNESSES:

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D4 C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. HEADLY, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO OLIVER A. MOORE, 0F OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

FLYING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. HEADLY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and the State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flying-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of devices for controlling the guiding of a flying machine and preventing its collapse under conditions of heavy winds, and the details of construction in which my invention consists are fully set forth in the following specification.

Figure 1 represents a front view of the machine framework and planes the operating mechanism not being shown. Fig. 2 represents a part sectional plan view of the machine, the operating mechanism not being shown. Fig. 3 represents a part sectional side elevation of the ball jointed connection. Fig. 4 represents a plan View of the ball jointed connection.

Similar symbols refer to similar parts throughout this specification.

It is shown in Figs. 1, -2-, 3-, and 4, that the different members of the machine form primarily an independent framework which is used as a supporting means to sustain the plane 8 and through the ball jointed connections hereinafter described will enable the plane to be tilted at any angle desired, the under member of this frame work 4 is connected to the upper member 1 through the post or guide members 5 and 6 and the truss members 2 and 3, the upper ends of the posts 5 are extended beyond the framework 1 and are arranged to carry sheaves 17 for the cables 12, the members 7 are braces for the lower ends of the posts 6 and are connected to the lower framework 4, this under framework 4 can be used as the under plane of a by-plane machine or in other style machines can be used merely as bracing connections, in either case the upper member 1 is the other bracing frame and through the other connecting members 2 and 3 form the complete supporting frame, of course other forms of bracing and construction may be used to arrive at similar re sults. The members 66 are firmly secured at their upper and lower ends to the members 1 and 4 respectively, the members 7-7 form a brace to the same at their lower ends and also to the outer support of the lower Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

plane at 9-9, the guides or supports 6 are so formed that they are bent to conform to a circle Whose center is at or about A on the vertical center line between the center posts 5 to the said guides 5 and 6 are fitted ball jointed connections 10, each of which is suitably attached to the movable plane 8 as shown in Fig. 3, and by means of which the plane 8 can be held securely in its supporting means and still be free to move through a plane whose imaginary axis or center of revolution is located upon the vertical center line between the supports or guides 5, and maintaining therein a constant balance or equilibrium through the medium of the springs 11 which are shown in Fig. 1 as arranged to encircle the posts 5 impinging upon the under surface of the ball jointed connections 10 and at their lower ends on any suitable support upon the said posts 5, these springs can be of any resilient material and can be adjusted to the degree of pressure required at which it is desired the plane shall automatically respond, unless disturbed by external forces such as a sudden gust of wind or decrease of pressure under or over the outer ends of the plane 8, in which case the plane would drop or dip toward the side of greatest pressure irrespective of the plane 4 and preventing a sudden dip of the machine and will under severe stress control and right itself automatically to meet the sudden changes of wind pressure which are often so disastrous in the use of flying machines; but in order to place the balanced plane 8 under the control of the operator there are arranged cables or strands 12 the ends of which are suitably attached to a drum 13 to which is connected a lever 14, the said cables pass under the sheaves 15 attached to the stationary frame work or plane 4, thence around the sheaves 16 toward the outer ends of the plane 8, thence over the sheaves 17 near the top of the central posts 5 and returning to the drum 13, thus forming a continuous loop through which arrangement and by means of the lever 14 the plane 8 is under manual control and its position relative to the plane 4 can be changed by the operator as needs call for; the dotted lines 8' and 8 in Fig. 1 illustrate the extreme positions which the plane 8 can take, and should it be desired to sail the machine against contrary winds, this control of the top plane will enable the operator to guide the machine independently of the variahleness of the Wind. This movement is enabled through the ball jointed connections 10 between the plane 8 and the guides 5 and 6, and it will be observed from Fig. 3 that this connection is formed in upper and lower halves the plane 8 being interposed between the upper and lower halves and fastened thereto, each half forms a cup or shell to retain the ball 22 and when fastened together permit the ball to move freely therein; through the center of the ball the posts or guides 5 and 6 are passed, the call being free to move or slide thereon: in the upper and lower halves of the cu is formed corresponding slotted openings 21, through which the guide posts 5 and 6 are passed, and it will be seen that the plane can be tilted at any angle up to the limit of the length of the slotted opening 21 in the cup or shell of the ball jointed connections 10 as shown in Fig. 1.

In order to brace the movable plane 8 and cause it to retain its proper relative position with the lower plane 4 and remove any side strain from the guides 5 and 6, I have shown in Fig. 2 a sectional plan view of the machine showing how it is planned to carry out the idea, at the rear end of the machine near B, I have fastened to the trussed part 20 which can be of any proper form, a rocker 19 to the outer ends of which are fastened guy rods 18 extending to the outer ends of the plane 8, thus bracing the plane and through the medium of the rocker 19 the required dipping motion of the plane 8 is not interfered with, the rocker can be made of any suitable material or shape.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a flying machine, an elongated upper horizontal frame, an elongated lower frame, a plurality of vertical posts disposed at longitudinal intervals parallel with the longitudinal axes and connected with the frames, an air-plane provided with apertures, ball-casings mounted in said apertures, each ball casing being provided with opposed slots disposed parallel with and opening outwardly of the sides of the airplane, said air-plane being disposed intermediate the upper and lower frames with the slots of its ball-casings traversed by said posts, means for moving the air-plane to a I position parallel with said frames, and

means for disposing said plane inclinedly with reference to said frames, the ball-casings moving vertically and transversely of said posts.

2. In a flying machine, an upper and lower framework whosehorizontal members are vertically connected by supports which form guides to sustain a movable plane, the outer supports being so formed and shaped that they are part of the circumference of a circle, means to connect the movable plane to engage with the segmental supports and enable the plane to be inclined at either end from a common center.

3. In a flying machine, a movable main plane supported upon guides connecting the upper and lower members of the frame work, ball jointed connections attached to the said plane in engagement with segmental and straight guides which connect the upper and lower members of the frame work enabling the plane through its connections to be moved through the arc of a circle Whose center is located at or near the vertical axis of the central supporting posts of the upper and lower frame work.

4. In a flying machine, the upper and lower frame work of which is connected vertically by supports forming guides engaging with ball jointed connections attached to a plane, springs under said connections at the center supports holding the said plane in balanced position and enabling the plane to yield and automatically adjust itself at either end to the pressure of the air.

5. In a flying machine, an upper elongated horizontal frame, an elongated lower frame, vertical posts arranged in adjacent pairs between the middle and ends intermediate said frames for maintaining them substantially parallel, ball casings mounted slidably on said posts, each ball casing having slots formed therein at two opposed sides and provided with a pair of flanges, an elongated air-plane mounted between the flanges of said casing and traversed by said posts, means to maintain said airplane in the vertical plane of said upper and lower frames, the slots of the ball casings being disposed parallel with the longitudinal axis of said air-plane.

6. In a flying machine, a movable plane sustained between horizontally supported frame work, supports between said frame work, ball jointed connections attached to the plane and suitably engaging said supports, springs under the ball jointed connections at the center supports holding the plane in balanced position and permitting it to adjust itself automatically to variations of wind pressure, cables attached to the said plane at each end thereof and also winding around a drum, a lever engaging with said drum enabling the operator to control the movement of the plane at will without interfering with the automatic features of the adjustment of the plane.

JAMES W. HEADLY.

Witnesses:

OLIVER A. MOORE, E. W. Frr'r.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). 0. 

